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Wolfsburg coach Magath new Schalke boss
BERLIN (AFP) - Felix Magath, coach of Bundesliga leaders Wolfsburg, will join rivals Schalke 04 at the end of the season it was confirmed on Wednesday.
Wolfsburg announced Wednesday the 55-year-old will leave them when the season ends on May 23 and hours later Schalke confirmed Magath will take on the dual role of team manager and coach for them next season.
Former Bayern Munich coach Magath has a four-year contract at Schalke and says he leaves Wolfsburg in rude health having used the early exit cause in his contract to take charge at Schalke.
Magath will take over from both Dutch coach Fred Rutten and team manager Andreas Mueller who were sacked from their roles by Schalke earlier this year.
"We have already reached our sporting targets substantially faster than we planned in the summer of 2007 when I took charge," said Magath in a statement having informed Wolfsburg's board of his decision on Monday.
"This team is young and is bound to develop more in the future."
Magath has steered Wolfsburg to the top of the German league this season, while Schalke are up to seventh in the table after an indifferent season, and Hans-Dieter Poetsch, chairman of Wolfsburg's board, paid tribute to his work.
"We would like to offer our thanks to Mr Magath for his help over the last two years and for his extraordinary achievement in such a short period of time," he said.
Magath was sacked by Bayern in February 2007 despite leading them to the Bundesliga and German Cup double in both of the two season's before, but has turned midtable Wolfsburg into table leaders.
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